Souk Savanh Restaurant

Friendly service, tasty food in a somewhat questionable neighborhood. Overall a great experience and I would return.

Dropped in here a few days ago. I was a little hesitant at first as there were only a few tables in there with people. I’m extremely glad I stayed.
I ordered the Pad Thai and yellow curry, which is usually my benchmark for judging a new Thai place. Both dishes were extremely flavorful and not greasy. I ordered spicy and it was SPICY. I spent time traveling around SE Asia and this place is definitely authentic. Prices were very fair for the portion size.

The chicken wings were so garlicky and yummy! A friend of mine recommended me this place and that I had to get the chicken wings! She was right. They were amazing. I love my food extraaaa spicy and they did that well. Thank you!
Pricing for food are very affordable and that makes me want to come back even more.
We also ordered the beef laab. Which was yummy but I wished it was more sour. That’s just my taste.
My boyfriend ordered the ka soy. We didn’t really like it. Soup was favorless. But they are condiments for seasoning your soup.
Even though the soup wasn’t good I’m still giving this place a 5 star because we had great services from our waitress and maybe because I really liked the chicken wings. Hehe
I can’t wait to return to try other things on the menu.

This place could be the cheapest thai/​laos restaurant ive ever been to. The chicken wings were very delicious and i highly recommend it. I also tried the beef larb and it was pretty good and the beef was very tender but, the tripe was a little over boiled. My biggest disappointment was the kasoy which lacked any flavor in broth. But for the price you pay at this restaurant its pretty good. Downside, i did not receive an asian soup spoon so scooping up the kasoy was difficult with a regular spoon. We had to basically ask for everything i.e. chopsticks, straws and condiments.

I haven’t been to Souk Savanh before the remodel, so I can’t comment on how the food is now compared to then.
But it sure is delicious! We came on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty slow. Word probably hasn’t gotten out that they’ve reopened after being closed for a few months. We ordered the fried papaya salad, BF got the thai fried rice with beef and I ordered the Khao Poon.
The fried papaya salad is SO GOOD. Sounds kind of weird, but I loved the texture of the fried papaya with the saltiness that usually comes with the salad! LOVED IT. However, it said it was supposed to come with prawns and we didn’t get any in our salad =(maybe they forgot? I was kinda bummed though.
The BF’s fried rice was fine, fluffy rice and was seasoned nicely. My soup was huge and I could only finish about half. I got it with chicken (you can add fish for $ 1). I do wish there were more chunks of chicken versus random bits here and there with cartilage and bone, but I get that’s where the flavors come from in the soup.
Portions and prices are great!
Service was really attentive and friendly.
Will be back to try more dishes!

Did they change chefs since they reopened? Had deep fried ribs which I usually get and they weren’t the same. They even changed the sauce.
Also had ladna and it was a disappointment. Noodles were too thin and stuck together. Plus they were a little burnt and the sauce to noodle ratio was 3:1. It’s like I was drinking soup
Nam kao was good

Yo, Souk Savanh is back! After a few months of remodeling, it is looking fresh and the food is as good as it has ever been, they’ve even stepped up their presentation game!
Was sad for months as I would pass by to go to Banh Mi Ba Le, gave it another go last Thursday and saw that it would reopen on the 20!
Chicken wings are as good as ever with just enough crispiness balanced with juicy and tender meat inside. The sauce is so good it deserves to be taken to go!
Nam Kao is a bit more mixed now, with addition of peanuts, might wanna let them know that if you got any kind of allergies.
Also tried a new noodle dish, chicken with rice noodles in thick broth, just right for the kind of weather that gets a bit chilly.
Long story short. Souk Savanh is back, come and support town business!

Souk Savanh is back it’s really back! A few months ago they closed for renovations and after not reopening right away I thought they were gone forever. Well they are back (menu and ownership unchanged) and I couldn’t be happier. They have amazing food (the larb and nam kao are next level!) and very sweet service.

The first time I ever had ka soy was at souk savanh, it was pretty damn good. The prices here are worth it. But besides the ka soy, this is also where I’ve first tried khao poon. I loved it so much that I went home and attempt to make it myself. Their khao poon is bomb dot com, the perfect amount of spice in it. If you want to try some legit Thai and Laos food, this is the place to go. They’re not as popular as other Thai and Laos restaurants in Oakland, but trust me their food is awesome! If you’re waiting too long at champa garden and too hungry to wait any longer than go to Souk Savanh!

Hands down best Thai restaurant in Oakland! When they closed for renovation I was devastated because they left me with no other options. I’ve tried places that are similar but nothing compares. I can’t wait to get some of my favorite dishes when they reopen!!!

This place has bargain Thai/​Laotian food! The service was fast since we were the only ones there during lunch on a Saturday. This kind of surprised us and caused us to doubt whether it was a good decision to come here or not. Either we came early or not many know about this gem of a place!
We liked that they served beer in iced glasses — extra brownie point there.
Spicy Wings — Decent but not as good as Champa Garden’s.
Tom Kha Gai — My favorite dish at the place! The coconut milk is extremely creamy and tasty.
Kaeng Keow Wan — Great green curry.
They have an extensive menu with some 40 choices.

I recommend their kasoy & spicy wings very delicious. Great customer service, but I feel like they can improve on some of their plates because the food they make is from my culture and i just think it can be more authentic.

Man, I’ve never been this happy to write a review for a restaurant. My friend and I were searching for an Asian (specifically Thai, Cambodian, or Laos) establishment in Oakland, but most places were closed on Sundays. Luckily, souk savanh was open and so we checked it out.
Reading all the reviews, you’d expect to see a lot of customers, but my friend and I were the only ones. That was fine for us. More food right? After looking on Unilocal we ordered the Laos sausage to start off with, the nam Kao, crispy papaya salad, and the pad kee Mao, all items that were heavily recommended.
The Laos sausage was a bit pricy for us. $ 8 for a few slices. We knew we wanted to try it however because come on, it’s Laos sausage. The best thing since ikea meatballs. Needless to say, the sausages were pretty damn tasty. They blend well with the lettuce.
Next off we tried the nam Kao. It was the second time I’ve had it, and this one blows my first experience out of the water. Their crispy fried rice had so much flavor that you can’t not like it!
Unfortunately, we waited a bit too long for our papaya salad. I guess it took them a while to fry it, even though we were the only customers. The waitress was hella nice though and so she gave it to us on the house due to our long wait. The salad wasn’t what we expected though. It was all crispy, which was cool! Their sauce is definitely hot hot hot, so order mild if you hate spicy. I prob wouldn’t get it again because I’m not a big fan of fried food.
We ended up taking the pad kee Mao home because we were über full. Pro tip: they give big portions so just stick with one or two dishes. The lady was even nice enough to give us the sausages for free.
Overall I had a great time. The service was extraordinary and the nam Kao was bomb. Please adventure out here and check it out. You won’t regret it!
Eat well and prosper folks,

A diamond in the rough is what this place is. This was my first time and i went with my family. The restaurant itself looked clean and the service was attentive and friendly.
the food was amazing and well prepared. We ordered the green papaya salad and though it was a bit salty it complimented the other dishes well. Pad thai was very tasty, above standard.
My fave was the chicken wings!!! These were the best cooked wings ever! They were the perfect type of crunchy and i enjoyed every bite. The sweet and tangy sauce was delicious. I’ll be back soon.

If you want real, authentic Thai/​Laos food with great flavor and real spice, this is the place to go. My friends love their kasoy and I personally love their Thai garlic ribs and Laos sausages. Prices are reasonable and their service is always great. Their food always tastes home cooked and is always filling. They have plenty of room for you to dine in and they’re pretty quick with take out orders. There is a $ 10 minimum for using credit cards and there’s only street parking, but it’s at an easy to get to location. We’ve been eating here for a couple years (they’ve changed their name a couple times) and we’ll continue to support our good neighborhood Thai restaurant. Thanks for the great food!

Tried the Pad Thai with Tamarind Sauce today.
Really good and authentic. Service was brisk as well.

My friend and I accidentally stumbled onto this gem! There were no customers inside so we were kinda skeptical but I was craving lao food all weekend. We saw on the menu that they had deep fried papaya salad… so I was like «omg…I have to try it!» Tried it. … loved it! I also had the Kasoy which wasn’t bad… And, I say that only because that was the first time ever eating kasoy. I had a little taste of kapoon from my friend’s bowl and that was very good! Very friendly staff. … You have to find parking on the street and isn’t in the best of neighborhoods but it’s well worth it! I will totally go again!

I think ordering takeout vs. dining was a tragic mistake. We took home our order and couldn’t believe it. The Ka Poon was extremely salty, so we added water but it didn’t help so we poured it down the sink. The Yellow Curry was pretty good, no complaints there. The Nam Kao was a bit salty too but still edible. Lastly, the papaya salad was extremely salty, so we threw that out too. Did not taste like Lao style at all. We were battling a salt over drive the whole time. Maybe things would have been different if we’d dine in? Heard some good things about this place but not sure what happened that night to our order. I prefer Champa Garden indefinitely.

I’m very glad I got to try Souk Savanh. Located right on International Blvd, I wasn’t surprised we needed to be buzzed in. I was craving Laos food and randomly discovered this place, did what everyone did and checked Unilocal to see if it was good.
To my surprise it was good! I was a bit skeptical because there was literally no one in the restaurant eating besides me and my girlfriend, then later on a hipster couple. I ordered a bit too much for two people, but I had to satisfy my Laos craving. I am a big fan of the Nam Khoa! Which is the crispy rice, and if you know me, I love anything with a good crunch. My girlfriend ordered one of their salads (can’t remember which one) and it was also refreshingly good on that warm evening! You also can’t go wrong with the Laos sausage! It was cooked perfectly and I ate every single piece!
Overall, they are a nice family run restaurant. I hope to visit there again soon! Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!

Came here for dinner the first time after walking past it one day. We had the spicy wings, Kao piak and this refried chicken dish (#33).
Spicy wings were delicious!!! I don’t know what it is, but their garlicky, spicy sauce is so good!!!
Kao piak was only ok, I felt the noodles were too overcooked and were getting a bit soggy. The soup felt like it was missing something.
The chicken dish tasted like the spicy wings except minus the sauce. If you ever do order this dish and you loved the spicy wings, I recommend getting the #33 special (comes with the spicy wing sauce).
I would come back to try their other dishes.
Location is a bit ghetto (u’ll see a grl working the corners here and there), but the food is good. It’s also right next to Ba Le.